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Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)

PoE 2 0.4 Witch Leveling Build - Drain Contagion

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Path Of Exile 2 0.4 Witch Leveling Build
This is a Witch leveling build that focuses on dealing consistent Chaos Damage in Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)'s The Last of the Druids Update. Check out this Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, including its progression, equipment, socketables, skills, recommended builds, and playstyle!

PoE 2 Icon Attention! The build is updated for up to Act 3 of Patch 0.4.0: The Last of the Druids.
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Drain Contagion Witch Build Summary

Leveling Build Overview

Path of Exile 2 WitchEssence Drain Contagion Witch
Skeletal Warrior Minion Icon Chaos Bolt Icon Contagion Icon Unearth Icon Essence Drain Icon Dark Effigy Icon Withering Presence Icon
Path of Exile 2 Build ProStrong against mobs

Path of Exile 2 Build ProBeginner-Friendly

Path of Exile 2 Build ProConsistent DPS

Path of Exile 2 Build ConVulnerable Without Minions

Path of Exile 2 Build ConRelatively low single-target DPS

Path of Exile 2 Build ConLow Mobility

This Witch leveling build focuses on dealing consistent Chaos damage. The build utilizes Essence Drain to hit enemies then Contagion to spread it to the rest of the enemy pack.

For survivability, this build relies mainly on minions to absorb damage and take aggro from enemies.

Date Changes Made
12/14/25 ・ Build adjusted for Patch 0.4.0.
・ Removed Ravenous Swarm and Frost Bomb.
09/1/25 Updated for Act III.
・Blasphemy and Despair Added
・Adjusted Equipment
・Added Support Gems
・Adjustments to Passive Tree
・Updated Skill Rotations
08/31/25 Updated for Act II.
・Withering Presence Added
・Adjusted Equipment
・Adjusted Skills and Support Gems
・Adjustment to Passive Tree
・Added Build Faqs Section
08/30/25 ・ Essence Drain Contagion Witch Build Created.

Drain Contagion Witch Equipment

※ The affixes shown below are arranged based on descending priority.

Gear Affixes
Withered Wand IconWithered Wand
(Weapon Set 1)
Rattling Sceptre IconRattling Sceptre
(Offhand 1)
・Increased Spell Damage
・Increased Chaos Damage
・+ Level to All Chaos Spell Skills
・Gain Life per Enemy Killed
・Increased Cast Speed

・Increased Spirit
・Increased Maximum Mana
・Increased Mana Regeneration Rate
Chiming Staff IconChiming Staff
(Weapon Set 2)
・Increased Cast Speed
・+ Level to all Spell Skills
・Increased Mana Regeneration Rate
Wicker Tiara IconWicker Tiara
・Increased Energy Shield
・Any Elemental Resistances
・Intelligence
・Increased Rarity of Items Found
Altar Robe IconAltar Robe
・Increased Spirit
・Increased Energy Shield
・Increased Maximum Life
・Any Elemental Resistances
Jewelled Gloves IconJewelled Gloves
・Increased Energy Shield
・Increased Maximum Life
・Intelligence
・Any Elemental Resistances
Feathered Sandals IconFeathered Sandals
・Increased Movement Speed
・Increased Energy Shield
・Intelligence
・Any Elemental Resistances
Lunar Amulet IconLunar Amulet
・Increased Spirit
・Increased Maximum Energy Shield
・Increased Mana
・Intelligence
Amethyst Ring IconAmethyst Ring
・Increased Energy Shield
・Increased Spirit
・Increased Maximum Life
・Any Elemental Resistances
Amethyst Ring IconAmethyst Ring
・Increased Energy Shield
・Increased Spirit
・Increased Maximum Life
・Any Elemental Resistances
Gargantuan Life Flask IconGargantuan Life Flask
・Gain Charges per Second
・Increased Recovery Rate
Gargantuan Mana Flask IconGargantuan Mana Flask
・Gain Charges per Second
・Increased Recovery Rate

Weapons

When you start out, use a Withered Wand since it lets you fire Chaos Bolts. This is a vital source of damage until you obtain Essence Drain with a Level 3 Skill Gem. Use a Rattling Sceptre on your offhand to summon Skeletal Warriors, which serve as a secondary source of damage.

For your 2nd weapon set, use a Chiming Staff specifically for the Sigil of Power skill, which provides a Spell Damage buff.

List of Weapons

Armor and Accessories

Prioritize acquiring as much energy shield as you can while balancing out elemental resistances. While extra spirit is desirable, it is not mandatory, as it will be used for additional Skeletal Warriors for tanking damage.

In general, you should use whatever Ring can help balance out your elemental resistances. For example, use Sapphire rings for cold resistance, which are necessary for dealing with the Act I boss, Count Geonor.

As you approach the end of Act III, you can stack up on Chaos Resistance, since this is the most difficult to obtain and can help deal with poison damage.

List of Rings List of Amulets
List of Armors

Belts and Charms

Belt Modifiers
Utility Belt IconUtility Belt ・Increased Maximum Mana
・Increased Recovery from Flasks
・Any Elemental Resistances
Charm Options
Sapphire Charm IconSapphire Charm Topaz Charm IconTopaz Charm Antidote Charm IconAntidote Charm

Equip a Utility Belt to apply flask recovery instantly. As you progress through the Acts, you will encounter bosses that can practically one-shot you, so healing instantly can often save you.

For your Charms, make sure to equip either a Sapphire Charm to help you survive against Count Geonor in Act 1 or the Topaz Charm for Jamanra. You can also opt to use the Antidote Charm to help deal with poison damage.

List of Belts List of Charms

Runes and Soul Cores

Equipment Sockets
Weapon
Armor

We recommend slotting an Iron Rune into your Wand to further increase your Spell damage. For your Armor, use whatever rune will help you balance out your Elemental Resistances.

List of Runes List of Soul Cores

Drain Contagion Witch Skills

※ The Support Gems' priority are arranged in a descending order. The first one being the most important and the last being the least crucial.

Skill Support Gems
Essence Drain IconEssence Drain
Contagion IconContagion
Skeletal Warrior IconSkeletal Warrior
Dark Effigy IconDark Effigy
Unearth IconUnearth
Withering Presence IconWithering Presence

This build focuses on applying damage over time debuffs over many enemies at once, while also summoning plenty of minions to tank damage for you. In the early stages of the game, you can rely on Unearth for mobbing.

As long as you can trigger the interaction of Essence Drain and Contagion, you can defeat mobs easily and from a safe distance. Dark Effigy is an imporant skill to obtain in Act 3 since this drastically increases your single-target damage.

Allocate your spirit for Withering Presence to further increase Chaos damage, then use the leftover spirit for additional Skeletal Warriors.

In Act III, we will socket the Blasphemy skill gem into the Despair skill, transforming it into an Aura. This feature allows us to deploy the Despair curse without the need for manual casting, though it does incur an additional spirit cost. Blasphemy ensures the consistent application of the curse across enemies within range, whic allows us to cast Dark Effigy more quickly after applying our other curses.

List of Skills

Drain Contagion Witch Passive Tree

Passive Tree Progression

This build focuses on boosting Chaos damage, Minion damage, and Spell damage. Fortunately, there are nodes for these stats that are relatively close to one another.

Build towards nodes such as Spiral into Insanity, Entropy, and Lingering Horror for increased Chaos damage, Empowering Remains and Power of the Dead for buffs related to minions, and Raw Destruction for increased Spell damage.

You will also need to invest into nodes such as Pure Energy and Open Mind for more utility, such as Mana Regeneration and Energy Shield.

Passive Skill Tree Guide and List of Passives

Ascendancy Options

Lich Icon Lich • Choose Eldritch Empowerment to increases damage done by spells without interrupting shield recharge.

Since Energy Shields are a natural defensive option for the build, we recommend choosing the Lich Ascendancy and obtaining the Eldritch Empowerment Ascendancy node to increase your damage output.

You have the option to transition to a different Ascendancy if you wish to switch to a different build once you reach the endgame.

How to Respec Ascendancy

Build Progression

Jump to an Act!
Act 1 Act 2 Act 3

Act 1 Progression

To progress through Act 1 and beat Count Geonor using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:

# Steps
1
Upon spawning, equip the Withered Wand Icon Withered Wand and Rattling Sceptre Icon Rattling Sceptre to go through the starting area. Use the Unearth Icon Unearth Gem to summon minions from fallen enemies to defeat The Bloated Miller Icon The Bloated Miller .
2
Talk to Renly and enter Clearfell Encampment. Head for the Mysterious Campsite at Clearfell to get an extra Level 1 Uncut Skill Gem Icon Uncut Skill Gem .
3
Complete Treacherous Ground and get the Swift Affliction I Icon Swift Affliction I Support Gem for Contagion Icon Contagion .
4
Defeat Beira of the Rotten Pack Icon Beira of the Rotten Pack to obtain Head of the Winter Wolf Icon Head of the Winter Wolf for the Cold Resistance to in preparation for the Count Geonor boss fight.
5
Find the Witch Hut in The Grelwood and defeat Areagne, Forgotten Witch to level up your Contagion Icon Contagion and get the Magnified Area I Icon Magnified Area I Support Gem.
Note: Make sure to loot the Witch Hut to get Medium Flasks.
6
Defeat The Brambleghast Icon The Brambleghast to get a Level 2 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to get Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain .
7
Progress to The Grim Tangle and defeat The Rotten Druid Icon The Rotten Druid to obtain another Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in Swift Affliction I Icon Swift Affliction I to Essence Drain.
8
Look for the Haunted Treasure Inside the Tomb of the Consort and defeat the rare enemy to acquire a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in Rapid Casting I Icon Rapid Casting I to Essence Drain.
9
Defeat The Crowbell Icon The Crowbell to get a Book of Specialisation Icon Book of Specialisation for free passive points.
10
Search and complete your first Ritual in the same area to get a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use this to upgrade your Essence Drain.
11
Start looking for the Dryadic Ritual in the same area to get an extra Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (to be used later).
12
Defeat the The King in the Mists Icon The King in the Mists to get +30 Spirit and a Level 4 Uncut Spirit Gem Icon Uncut Spirit Gem . Use this to equip Withering Presence Icon Withering Presence .
13
Complete The Lost Lute at the Ogham Farmlands to obtain a Book of Specialisation for more passive points.
14
Search for the Crop Circle in the same area to defeat Vargir the Feral Mutt Icon Vargir the Feral Mutt and obtain a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade Contagion.
15
Proceed to Ogham Village and defeat The Executioner Icon The Executioner to free Leitis and acquire a Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem and upgrade your Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain .
16
As soon as you get another Lv.4 Uncut Skill Gem, upgrade Contagion Icon Contagion . If you have extra Support Gems, slot in Prolonged Duration I Icon Prolonged Duration I on Unearth Icon Unearth first, then Rapid Casting I Icon Rapid Casting I on Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain later.
17
Search and defeat the Candlemass, the Living Rite Icon Candlemass, the Living Rite at Ogham Manor to get the Candlemass Candlemass' Essence for the free +20 Maximum Life.
18
Continue and defeat Count Geonor Icon Count Geonor to complete Act 1.
Note: Make sure you have Medium Flasks since this boss fight has 2 Phases so you will be spending a good amount of time learning and surviving the mechanics.

Complete Act 1 Walkthrough

Act 2 Progression

To progress through Act 2 and beat Jamanra, the Abomination using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:

# Steps
1
Complete the Earning Passage quest for an Uncut Skill Gem Icon Uncut Skill Gem Level 5. Use this to upgrade Contagion Icon Contagion .
2
Defeat Balbala, The Traitor Icon Balbala, The Traitor to gain access to The Trial of Sekhemas.
Ascendancy: You can attempt to finish the Sekhema's Trial to get your first two Ascendancy Skills.
3
Clear Mobs in Keth until you get the Kabala Clan Relic Icon Kabala Clan Relic (To be used later).
4
Defeat Kabala, Constrictor Queen Icon Kabala, Constrictor Queen to get a Book of Specialisation Icon Book of Specialisation for more passive points.
5
Defeat The Ninth Treasure of Keth Icon The Ninth Treasure of Keth in the Galleria for a random Jewel.
Note: Make sure to slot in this Jewel in your passive tree as you progress.
6
Open the Guarded Sarcophagus for an Uncut Support Gem Icon Uncut Support Gem Level 2 and slot in Upwelling I Icon Upwelling I on Withering Presence Icon Withering Presence .
7
Three Elemental Offering Ring choices: Ruby Ring, Sapphire Ring, and Topaz Ring for flame, cold, and lightning resistance respectively. It is recommended to choose the Topaz Ring to prepare for Jamanra, the Abomination Icon Jamanra, the Abomination .
8
Clear The City of Seven Waters for an Uncut Support Gem II.
9
Destroy the Effigy located in the Shrine of Bones for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2.
10
Clear Mobs in The Bone Pits until you get the Sun Clan Relic Icon Sun Clan Relic (To be used later).
11
Complete A Theft of Ivory quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2. You can use this for any missing support gems in the build.
12
Place both Relics in the Valley of Titans to complete the Ancient Vows quest. Choose the Moon Clan Relic for the 30% Charm Effect Duration.
13
Complete A Crown of Stone quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2. You can use this for any missing support gems in the build.
14
Complete the Tradition's Toll quest to get a Book of Specialisation Icon Book of Specialisation .
15
Defeat the Forgotten Corpses for an additional Djinn Barya Icon Djinn Barya .

Complete Act 2 Walkthrough

Act 3 Progression

To progress through Act 3 and beat Doryani using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:

# Step by Step Guide to Act 3 Leveling
1
Defeat Rootdredge Icon Rootdredge to get Uncut Skill Gem Icon Uncut Skill Gem Level 9 and use it upgrade your Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain .
2
Loot the basket found in the Orok Campfire at Sandswept Marsh to get a Lesser Jeweller Lesser Jeweller's Orb .
Note: Use this on your Dark Effigy and use your extra Uncut Support Gem to slot in Poison II Icon Poison II .
3
Proceed to the Jungle Ruins and defeat the Mighty Silverfist Icon Mighty Silverfist for a Book of Specialisation Icon Book of Specialisation .
4
Complete The Slithering Dead to get the Venom Draught of the Veil for provide you with +30% Increased Elemental Ailment Threshold.
5
Look for the Jungle Grave and interact with the Ravaged Corpse to summon Servi and get a rare Belt. We recommend taking Linen Belt for better mana management.
6
Defeat Ignagduk, the Bog Witch Icon Ignagduk, the Bog Witch for 30 Spirit and an Uncut Spirit Gem Icon Uncut Spirit Gem Level 10. Use this to equip Blasphemy Icon Blasphemy and socket Despair Icon Despair into it.
7
Submit the Tribal Vengeance to get a charm. Choose the Antidote Charm for increased defenses against Poison.
8
Defeat Blackjaw, the Remnant Icon Blackjaw, the Remnant to get The Flame Core for +10% Fire Resistance.
9
Use the Paquate's Mechanism to Corrupt gear. We suggest corrupting the Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain skill gem for a chance of an additional Support Gem slot.
10
Obtain an Uncut Spirit Gem Icon Uncut Spirit Gem Level 10 from Treasures of Utzaal. Use this to increase the level of your Withering Presence Icon Withering Presence .
11 Ascendancy: By this time, you can complete the Trial of Chaos to get your third and fourth Ascendancy Point.
Lich Icon Lich : Depending on the current gear that you have, you can take Crystalline Phylactery or Souless Form based on your current gear, but you can skip this step if neither is beneficial to your build.
12
Use the Sacrificial Heart Icon Sacrificial Heart that you can pick up in Utzaal to acquire Weapon Set Skill Points.

Complete Act 3 Walkthrough

Drain Contagion Witch Playstyle

Mobbing Rotation

This will be your standard rotation for most encounters, with the variation being the number of corpses you can summon with Unearth after defeating enemy packs.

  1. Engage enemy packs with Essence Drain.
  2. Cast Contagion on low HP target.
  3. Cast Dark Effigy against tanky enemies.
  4. Keep spamming Essence Drain.
  5. Cast Unearth on corpses before proceeding to the next pack.

Bossing Rotation

For bossing, you can opt to pre-cast your Dark Effigy totems in safe spots in the arena, and proceeding as normal.

  1. Cast Essence Drain and Contagion.
  2. Cast Dark Effigy twice.
  3. Continue spamming Essence Drain and Contagion.
  4. Continue spawning Dark Effigy, ensuring they keep attacking the boss.
  5. Cast Unearth if the Boss has a mob phase that spawns useable corpses when slain.
  6. Cast Chaos Bolt if you're out of mana.

Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Related Guides

Builds Partial Banner

List of All Builds

0.4 Endgame Builds

Oracle Icon Frost Wolf Oracle Shaman IconTanky Bear Shaman -

0.4 Leveling Builds

Druid IconFire Bear Druid Druid IconFrost Wolf Druid Druid IconLightning Wyvern Druid
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) - Sorceress PortraitCold Infusion Sorceress Path of Exile 2 Grenadier Mercenary BuildGrenadier Mercenary Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) - Huntress PortraitBuckler Parry Huntress
Witch LevelingDrain Contagion Witch - -

0.3 Best Builds

Rank Build
S tier Icon
A tier Icon
B tier icon
C tier icon

0.3 Leveling Builds

Warrior LevelingSlam Fissure Warrior Ranger LevelingLightning Arrow Ranger Mercenary LevelingLightning Shotgun Mercenary
Monk LevelingCold Lightning Monk Huntress LevelingLightning Spear Huntress Sorceress LevelingFireball Sorceress

All Build Guides

List of Builds by Class
Path of Exile 2 - Huntress IconHuntress Path of Exile 2 - Mercenary Builds Mercenary Path of Exile 2 - Monk Builds Monk
Path of Exile 2 - Witch Builds Witch Path of Exile 2 - Sorceress Builds Sorceress Path of Exile 2 - Warrior Builds Warrior
Path of Exile 2 - Ranger Builds Ranger - -
Other Build Guides
0.3 Leveling Builds How to Make a Good Build

Witch Leveling Builds

Arsonist Minion WitchArsonist Minion Witch
Flame Wall Icon Flammability Icon Raging Spirits Icon Skeletal Warrior Icon Pain Offering Icon Skeletal Cleric Icon

Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT
Drain Contagion WitchDrain Contagion Witch
Frost Bomb Icon Contagion Icon Chaos Bolt Icon Skeletal Warrior Icon Unearth Icon Essence Drain Icon Despair Icon Dark Effigy Icon Blasphemy Icon Withering Presence Icon Ravenous Swarm Icon

Focus: AoE, Chaos, DoT

Witch Endgame Builds

Minion InfernalistMinion Infernalist
Flame Wall Icon Raging Spirits Icon Skeletal Arsonist Icon Pain Offering Icon Detonate Dead Icon Vulnerability Icon Skeletal Brute Icon Skeletal Cleric Icon

Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT
Bonestorm Blood MageBonestorm Blood Mage
Bonestorm Icon Vulnerability Icon Bone Cage Icon Blasphemy Icon Life Remnants Icon

Focus: High Single Target Damage
Demon Form InfernalistDemon Form Infernalist
Arctic Armour Icon Ice Nova Icon Solar Orb Icon Flammability Icon Flameblast Icon Grim Feast Icon

Focus: Fast Clear, AoE
Detonate Dead Blood MageDetonate Dead Blood Mage
Frost Wall Icon Grim Feast Icon Detonate Dead Icon Vulnerability Icon Skeletal Brute Icon Skeletal Cleric Icon Soul Offering Icon Sacrifice Icon

Focus: High Damage, Fast Clear, Minions
Lich NecromancerLich Necromancer
Flame Wall Icon Skeletal Warrior Icon Skeletal Arsonist Icon Raise Zombie Icon Pain Offering Icon Skeletal Cleric Icon Skeletal Frost Mage Icon Profane Ritual Icon Despair Icon Bone Offering Icon

Focus: Minion, Chaos, AoE, Curse
Cast on Ignite Comet InfernalistCast on Ignite Comet Infernalist
Solar Orb Icon Flammability Icon Comet Icon Contagion Icon Overwhelming Presence Icon Cast on Ignite Icon Alchemist Demon Form Icon

Focus: AoE, Mobbing, Freeze, Ignite
Dark Effigy LichDark Effigy Lich
Contagion Icon Essence Drain Icon Bonestorm Icon Despair Icon Dark Effigy Icon Blasphemy Icon Withering Presence Icon Blink Icon Convalescence Icon

Focus: Chaos, AoE, Curse, Totem
Spark Blood MageSpark Blood Mage
Spark Icon Orb of Storms Icon Blink Icon Cast on Critical Icon Convalescence Icon Life Remnants Icon

Focus: Lightning, Critical Hit, Life Leech
Demon Warp InfernalistDemon Warp Infernalist
Orb of Storms Icon Lightning Warp Icon Ball Lightning Icon Blasphemy Icon Cast on Critical Icon Convalescence Icon Demon Form Icon

Focus: Lightning, AoE, Cast on Critical
Blackflame Covenant Blood MageBlackflame Covenant Blood Mage
Ember Fusillade Icon Fireball Icon Despair Icon Withering Presence Icon Time of Need Icon Cast on Critical Icon Convalescence Icon Siphon Elements Icon Living Bomb Icon Life Remnants Icon

Focus: Chaos, Critical, Fire
Reaper Blood MageReaper Blood Mage
Frost Bomb Icon Orb of Storms Icon Bonestorm Icon Vulnerability Icon Bone Cage Icon Cast on Critical Icon Life Remnants Icon

Focus: Reap, Physical, Burst

Witch Class and Ascendancy Guides

Base Class
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) - Witch Portrait Witch
Ascendancies
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) InfernalistInfernalist Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Blood MageBlood Mage Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) LichLich

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